Posts made by Julene

Stands for General-Purpose computation on Graphics Processing Units. GPGPU, or GPU computing, is the use of a GPU to handle general computing operations. Modern operating systems allow programs to access the GPU alongside the CPU, speeding up the overall performance.
While GPUs are designed to process graphics calculations, they can also be used to perform other operations. GPGPU maximizes processing efficiency by offloading some operations from the central processing unit (CPU) to the GPU. Instead of sitting idle when not processing graphics, the GPU is constantly available to perform other tasks. Since GPUs are optimized for processing vector calculations, they can even process some instructions faster than the CPU.
GPGPU is a type of parallel processing, in which operations are processed in tandem between the CPU and GPU. When the GPU finishes a calculation, it may store the result in a buffer, then pass it to the CPU. Since processors can complete millions of operations each second, data is often stored in the buffer only for a few milliseconds.
GPU computing is made possible using a programming language that allows the CPU and GPU share processing requests. The most popular is OpenCL, an open standard supported by multiple platforms and video cards. Others include CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture), an API created by NVIDIA, and APP (Accelerated Parallel Processing), an SDK provided by AMD.

A flowchart is a diagram that describes a process or operation. It includes multiple steps, which the process flows through from start to finish. Common uses for flowcharts include developing business plans, defining troubleshooting steps, and designing mathematical algorithms. Some flowcharts may only include a few steps, while others can be highly complex, containing hundreds of possible outcomes.
Flowcharts typically use standard symbols to represent different stages or actions within the chart. For example, each step is shown within a rectangle, while each decision is displayed in a diamond. Arrows are placed between the different symbols to show the direction the process is flowing. While flowcharts can be created with a pen and paper, there are several software programs available that make designing flowcharts especially easy. Common programs that can be used to create flowcharts include SmartDraw and Visio for Windows and OmniGraffle for the Mac.

A non-existant drug that is the opposite of speed, whose effects include: delayed reactions, randomly falling alseep, lack of motivation and or movement, and feeling as if you are living in slow motion.

This website at getting new definitions up

Stands for DomainKeys Identified Mail. DKIM is an email authentication technology that verifies a message was sent from a legitimate user of an email address. It is designed to prevent email forgery or spoofing.
DKIM works by attaching a digital signature to the header of an email message. The header is generated by the outgoing mail server and is unique to the domain hosted on the server. The receiving mail server can check the header against a public key stored in the sending servers DNS record to confirm the authenticity of the message.
Many popular email services like Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, and Outlook use DKIM by default. Other email accounts, such as those set up on web servers may require DKIM to be manually activated. For example, cPanel – a popular Linux web server application – allows an administrator to activate DKIM in the Email → Authentication section of the cPanel interface. Once DKIM is enabled, it is activated for all users automatically.
While DKIM provides a simple way to verify a message has been sent from the corresponding domain, it is not a foolproof solution. For example, the receiving mail server must also support DKIM or the header information will be ignored. Additionally, messages with a valid signature can be forwarded or resent from another email address. It is also important to note that DKIM is designed to authenticate messages, not prevent spam. While a valid DKIM header may mean a message is less likely to be spam, it has no relation to the content of the message.
The DomainKeys Identified Mail specification was created in 2005 when Yahoo! and Cisco merged their respective DomainKeys and Identified Internet Mail into a single solution. It was published by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) the same year and has been in use ever since.
NOTE: DKIM is commonly used along with SPF (Server Policy Framework), though the two verification methods are completely separate.

A very old name, from the 16th century, Scottish in origin, meaning from the dark river. A man who has deep insights, mystical powers and isnt afraid to explore both the dark and light sides of life, seeing them as all one. A person of great understanding, having wisdom that accrues with age. Very public persona, but deeply private in many ways.

The act of pouring gasoline down ones throat into the mid section and ignighting the gasoline as to burn the insides out. Usually done towards one you dont regard as a friend.

Often abbreviated as simply CF, Compact Flash is a type of flash memory. Compact flash cards are most commonly used for storing pictures in digital cameras, but are also used in devices such as PDAs and portable music players.
There are two types of Compact Flash cards, creatively named Type I and Type II. Type I cards are 3.3 mm thick, while Type II are 5 mm thick. IBM makes a MicroDrive card that has the same dimensions as a Type II CF card, but uses an actual hard drive construction rather than flash memory. Compact Flash cards originally could only store a few megabyes of data, but now can store several gigabytes. The new CF standard can store a possible 137 GB of data. I dont know about you, but Id think about backing up that information before throwing the card in my pocket.

Stands for Compact Disc Re-Writable. A CD-RW is a blank CD that can be written to by a CD burner. Unlike a CD-R (CD-Recordable), a CD-RW can be written to multiple times. The data burned on a CD-RW cannot be changed, but it can be erased. Therefore, you have to completely erase a CD-RW every time you want to change the files or add new data. While it may be somewhat inconvenient, this capability makes CD-RWs a good choice for making frequent backups. However, because CD-RWs can be erased, they dont store data reliably for as long as CD-Rs do. Therefore, you should use regular CD-Rs for long-term backups.

A captcha is program used to verify that a human, rather than a computer, is entering data. Captchas are commonly seen at the end of online forms and ask the user to enter text from a distorted image. The text in the image may be wavy, have lines through it, or may be highly irregular, making it nearly impossible for an automated program to recognize it. (Of course, some captchas are so distorted that they can be difficult for humans to recognize as well.) Fortunately, most captchas allow the user to regenerate the image if the text is too difficult to read. Some even include an auditory pronunciation feature.
By requiring a captcha response, webmasters can prevent automated programs, or bots, from filling out forms online. This prevents spam from being sent through website forms and ensures that wikis, such as Wikipedia, are only edited by humans. Captchas are also used by websites such as Ticketmaster.com to make sure users dont bog down the server with repeated requests. While captchas may be a minor inconvenience to the user, they can save webmasters a lot of hassle by fending off automated programs.
The name captcha comes from the word capture, since it captures human responses. It may also be written CAPTCHA, which is an acronym for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart.

Just like the human backbone carries signals to many smaller nerves in the body, a network backbone carries data to smaller lines of transmission. A local backbone refers to the main network lines that connect several local area networks (LANs) together. The result is a wide area network (WAN) linked by a backbone connection.
The Internet, which is the ultimate wide area network, relies on a backbone to carry data over long distances. The Internet backbone consists of several ultra-high bandwidth connections that link together many different nodes around the world. These nodes route incoming data to smaller networks in the local region. The fewer hops your data needs to make before reaching the backbone, the faster it will get sent to the destination. This is why many Web hosts and ISPs have direct connections to the Internet backbone.

Generally speaking, an avatar is the embodiment of a person or idea. However, in the computer world, an avatar specifically refers to a character that represents an online user. Avatars are commonly used in multiplayer gaming, online communities, and Web forums.
Online multiplayer role-playing games (MMORPGs) such as World of Warcraft and EverQuest allow users to create custom characters. These characters serve as the players avatars. For example, a World of Warcraft player may choose a Paladin with blue armor as his avatar. As the player progresses in the game, his character may gain items and experience, which allows the avatar to evolve over time.
Avatars are also used in online communities, such as Second Life and The Sims Online. These avatars can be custom-designed to create a truly unique appearance for each player. Once a user has created an avatar, he or she becomes part of an online community filled with other users avatars. Players can interact with other avatars and talk to them using text or voice chat. Its no surprise that Second Life refers to a virtual life that players live through their avatars.
Finally, avatars may also seen in Web forums. Online discussion boards typically require users to register and provide information about themselves. Many give users the option to select an image file that represents the users persona. This image, combined with a made-up username, serves as a persons avatar. For example, a user may select a picture of a Pac-Man and choose the name pac32 for his avatar. This avatar typically appears next to each posting the user contributes in an online forum.
Regardless of the application, avatars allow people to represent themselves online in whatever way they want. They may be considered alter-egos, since users can customize characters that are completely different than their actual personas. Of course, whats the point of having a second life if its the same as reality?